Museum Newsletter - 29 October 2015

Bullitt County Genealogical Society meets the third Saturday of the month at the Ridgway Memorial Library at the corner of Second and Walnut Streets, Shepherdsville. Meeting time is 11:00a.m.

The Mt. Washington Historical Society meets the first and third Tuesday at the Lloyd House, Old Highway 31E and Dooley Drive, at 7:00p.m.

The Spencer County Genealogical Society meets the fourth Monday at the Spencer County Library, 168 Taylorsville Road at 7:00p.m.

Louisville Genealogical Society meets the first and fourth Tuesday of the month at the LDS Church, Hurstbourne Parkway and Linn Station Road at 1:00p.m.

News and Views

Louisville Book Fair

The Louisville Genealogical Society Book Fair was held October 17at the Beargrass Christian Church on Shelbyville Road. There were authors, local genealogical societies (including our own), and other assorted vendors set up to sell their wares. I was fortunate enough to find a first edition of "Wilderness" by Robert Penn Warren for $2.50. Amazing! It was a very enjoyable day of getting to meet and talk to a lot of our peers from around the area. Oh, by the way, we also made some money for the Society and Museum!

More Bullitt County Memories, the Second in a Series

If you loved Bullitt County Memories by David Strange and Charles Hartley, you are sure to love the sequel, More Bullitt County Memories, the Second in a Series.

Like the first book, the Second is a compilation of the stories Dave and Charlie have written over the years for the Neighborhood section of the Sunday Courier-Journal. Both books have expanded text and additional photographs not seen in the newspaper articles.

More Bullitt County memories, the Second in a Series went to the printer the first week of October, and will be available before Thanksgiving. What great gifts these book will make for holidays, birthdays, or any other occasion for the discerning history lovers among us!

The original book is still available for $20 at the following locations:
Bullitt County History Museum
Kroger, Mt. Washington, KY
Kroger, Shepherdsville, KY
Mud Lane Kroger, Hillview, KY

More Bullitt County Memories, the Second in a Series will also be $20 per copy, and will be available at these same location upon arrival. (Note: If either, or both, books are purchased through the History Museum, we will pick up the sales tax and shipping cost).

As with the original book, the proceeds from the second will go towards the operation of the History Museum. Thanks again to David Strange and Charles Hartley for their generosity and support. Also, we would like to thank all the Friends of the Museum for your generous donations toward the printing cost of both books. Remember, since the museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit, your donations are tax deductible.

Dingley Dell

I mentioned last month that the November 21 meeting of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society may be sort of a field trip. Well, Society President Sherry Lee has informed me that we will be touring Jim and Pat Conway's Victorian home, "Dingley Dell," located just north of Hubers Station.

The name Dingley Dell was taken from the book, The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.The house was built by John Henry Linn in 1897 and has had several owners over the years before being purchased and restored to its original beauty by the Conways. We are looking forward to the tour with great anticipation.

After the tour we will be holding our November Society meeting which will include the election of officers for 2016. We will be meeting at the Ridgway Memorial Library parking lot (the lot closest to the railroad tracks) at 11:00a.m., and carpool or caravan to Dingley Dell.

Thank you Jim and Pat Conway for graciously allowing us to share your beautiful home for a short while.

Halloween

Halloween, the time of year when Ghosts and Goblins are out and about, will be here in a couple of days.

Do you believe in ghosts? I am not sure that I do, but I will admit that there are strange things that happen from time to time that seem to defy our understanding.

On October 10 we were visited by the "Bullitt County Paranormal Team," a group of young men from the Nichols area, headed by John Hemp. The group came to investigate possible paranormal activity at the Old Stone Jail. During their visit the team came across a couple of white orbs, and one nice red one. They determined that this was a "spirit," and when it was asked to turn off a flashlight, the light flickered, but did not go off. It was then asked to make the light dim. It dimmed. The team determined that this was a spiritual haunting, and that the spirit meant no harm.

Again, as for myself, I remain skeptical, and probably will be until I come face to face with some type of apparition, because there are no ghosts, are there???

Lets' be extra vigilant on Halloween night, and keep all of our little people safe.

Eighth Grade School Exam

The phenomenon that is the "1912 Bullitt County Eighth Grade School Exam" continues to pay dividends to the History Museum. Although I was not here when the exam went viral a couple of years ago, and turned former Director David Strange into somewhat of a national celebrity, I understand that it was quite an experience. And while the monetary aspect of it has certainly been beneficial, the worth of the national exposure and publicity is really incalculable.

When I first saw the exam, my thought was how glad I was that I did not have to take a similar exam in the eighth grade. But after thinking about it for a while, I determined that I would not want to take that exam then or now.

Requests continue to come in at the rate of two to three per week. We'll just take that blessing and hope it continues for a while.

Storage Space

As I am sure you are aware, space at the museum is at a premium, especially with one of our display rooms still unfinished. At least part of the problem has been solved by a great friend of the museum, Nick Simon of Publishers Printing Company. Nick, a big supporter of our museum even before it opened in 2004, has come through again.

David Strange and I went to Publishers a couple of weeks ago and looked at a secure space of about 200 square feet in a warehouse that had recently been purchased. David (he really does know everyone in Bullitt County) introduced me to Nick. We looked at the space, and found that it is just what we need right now. We will be moving some things over there very soon.Thank you again Nick Simon and Publishers Printing Company.

Well, that is all for this month. I am sure I have left a few things out, but that's just my nature.

Remember, if we keep digging for history, it can only make the future a little more clear.

The Bullitt County History Museum, a service of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is located in the county courthouse at 300 South Buckman Street (Highway 61) in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. The museum, along with its research room, is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday. Admission is free. The museum, as part of the Bullitt County Genealogical Society, is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization and is classified as a 509(a)2 public charity. Contributions and bequests are deductible under section 2055, 2106, or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code.
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